Kanker: A mysterious blast in the forests of Alparas in Koylibeda area of Kanker district of Chhattisgarh took place on the eve of Independence Day on Monday creating panic among the locals in the area, sources said. While locals called it an IED blast, police were reserved over the nature of the explosion saying that investigation into the incident is underway.
Local villagers said that a loud explosion was heard in the forest area of Alparas area leaving them in panic. The blast gave speculations over the Maoists triggering an IED blast to foil the Independence Day celebrations in the district. However, the district police has said that the nature of the blast was not clear yet.
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Sources said that Kanker SP Divyang Patel has rushed in a police team to investigate the blast site. SP Kanker has said that the situation regarding the blast will be clear only after the completion of the investigation. The blast has revived the horrific memories of IED blasts in the area in the past. On Feb. 18, 2021, Somji alias Sahdev Vedda, a member of North Bastar Division of Naxalites, died when the IED he was planting IED to target jawans near Chukapal Amabeda area.
In March that year, another Naxalite was killed in a similar manner while planting an IED near Gaithapara on the Bechapal-Hurepal road in Bijapur. More than 12 jawans have died in IED blasts in North Bastar's Kanker district in three years. A villager has also lost his life in the IED blasts. Most of the IEDs have been recovered from the forest and roadside of Koylibeda and Antagarh blocks.
In three years, security forces have recovered as many as 146 IEDs across the state. According to the official data, in the year 2020, maximum 88 IEDs were recovered. In the year 2021, this number decreased to 30, while in 2022 only 9 IEDs were recovered and destroyed by the jawans.
